Staff Spotlight: Jim Reynolds, VP of Agency Relations

Jim Reynolds acts as VP of Agency Relations, and I’m sure you’ve spotted him at events or over on Twitter.

In this Staff Spotlight, he discusses how he started working for Brandwatch by trying to buy a used car, the challenges he faces, and what he sees happening in the future of tech.

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Quick-fire round

1. Favorite place you’ve traveled: Driving from LA to BAJA in Mexico
2. Top item on your bucket list: Own a crappy bar and give crappy advice (preferably a beach bar)
3. iOS or Android: Android
4. Coffee or tea: Coffee (trained by an ex stock broker)
5. Sushi Wednesdays or Bagel Fridays: Taco Tuesday!

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Past, present, future

Hey, Jim! You’ve moved around a bit at Brandwatch. What is your current job title at Brandwatch, and what do you do?

I’ve been lucky enough to be one of the first five US employees, and Brandwatch’s first remote employee (based out of a suburb of Buffalo NY).

What are the odds that this gang of children will be heard during our team call with @bryantookey #insidebrandwatch pic.twitter.com/YMBcw7yhLm

— Jim Reynolds (@jimmyrey) May 17, 2016

My current title is VP of Agency Relations – I oversee both account management and sales of all North American Agency work. So I’m an evangelist, sales person, psychiatrist and strategist wrapped in one title.

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Can you talk about your background before Brandwatch?

I’ve worked in the restaurant industry, ran a warehouse and stumbled into a sales career when I was attempting to buy a used car.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sebastian Hempstead when I advised a client to try Brandwatch and I received a thank you call.

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How did you get involved in the tech industry?

I always loved technology, straight from the day my parents purchased me a Commodore 64.

I was a mod of a BBS and launched my first website before leaving high school. I realized I could make money doing what I love by selling hardware and software in early ’01 for a payroll company.

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What is the most challenging part of your job?

Working with our clients to understand what business problems they are attempting to solve when they won’t come out and say “I’m trying to solve problem X”.

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What’s the best thing about working at Brandwatch?

The expectation from Giles and the leadership team to be brave and speak up, no matter what.

Giles Palmer @joodoo9 is now on stage and quoting the matrix #insidebrandwatch #insidebran… https://t.co/IfNnw46HRK pic.twitter.com/FTALJ1Xo3R

— Jim Reynolds (@jimmyrey) May 10, 2016

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What developments in tech are you most excited about right now?

VR and AI have my attention, I’m excited about how it will change the way we interact with everything. I can only imagine how education, marketing and entertainment will transform when you can interact with a dynamic vivid and unique experience.

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Where do you see social listening five years from now?

In a similar space that web analytics sits today, a very flat market with a few players. One of those being Brandwatch.

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What soft-skills have you found to be most important in developing professionally?

Finding yourself a few mentors and listening to those people. Realizing that people have seen most of the puzzles you’re trying to solve, and they are willing to help.